Cassie: After the Gum Drops
by eclaregurl
Summary: After Cassie's ordeal, Nick comforts her. Nick also asks a close friend for help.


_**(A/N: Hi! Been awhile, sorry! This one has been sitting on my computer for a while. Hope you like it! As the title says, this starts right after Nick is talking to Cassie in Season 6 episode 5: Gum Drops. I own nothing! Enjoy!)**_

Cassie had just finished telling Nick of her night's horrifying experience in her raspy voice, all the while Nick was holding her hand for comfort. Cassie swallowed, "N-Nick?"

Nick smiled slightly and ran his thumb over the back of her hand, "What, sweetie?"

"W-who," Cassie swallowed again her free hand going to her throat, "I- uh, what is going to happen to me? W-who will take care of me?"

Nick looked at her with sad eyes, and took her hand from her throat, "I don't know Sweetie, I will find out though, find your next of kin. I will be back soon." Nick stood to leave.

"No!" she rasped, tears rolling down her face, "Please don't leave me, Nick!"

"Ok," Nick said sitting back down next to her and wiping her eyes, "I will stay, but I have to make a phone call ok? I will just be out there. I won't leave your line of sight."

"O-ok, Nick," Cassie relented.

"You want me to send the nurse in with some medicine for your throat?" Nick asked resting a hand on her head. She nodded. "Ok, I'll be back as soon as I can."

After he sent the nurse in with Cassie, Nick flipped open his phone, and selected the one person he trusted the most with the assignment he was going to give her.

"Hey, Nick. How is she doing?" he heard though the phone.

"It hurts her to talk, Sara. I know this though it wasn't her time either," Nick told the woman he was close to but not in a relationship with.

"I thought that would draw you to her," he could hear the smile in her voice, before she got serious, "I'm sorry, Nick, I'm sorry, I doubted. If, if I hadn't maybe we would've found her sooner."

"Sara," he whispered into the phone, "Sara all that matters is we did find her and she is safe now. Now I need you to do me a favor, for Cassie."

"Ok, I owe her, what is it?"

Nick was about to tell her she owed Cassie nothing, but just shook his head because he knew she wouldn't listen, "Sara I need you to look for her next of kin."

"Ok, can I get help or is this just between us?" Sara asked.

"Get all the help you need, just please find out a.s.a.p.! Cassie wants to know who take care of her," Nick explained.

"Will do, Nick. Bye," Sara said but he heard her call out before shutting her phone, "Greg! Cath! I need your help!"

Nick walked back into the room to find Cassie sleeping peacefully, and with a small smile ran his hand through her hair. "She needs her rest Mr. Stokes, her throat will heal faster," the tiny nurse said resting a hand on Nick's elbow.

"I know, thank you," Nick nodded with a smile.

Three hours later, Nick awoke to his phone ringing. "Stokes," he answered groggily.

"Hey, Nick," it was Sara, but she sounded unsure, worried.

"Sara!" Nick practically yelled before remembering he was next to a sleeping Cassie. He stood and walked a few steps away before speaking again, "You found her next of kin?"

"Um, no," Sara's voice was almost a whisper.

"Oh," Nick was disappointed, "Well then what's up?"

Sara sighed, "Exactly that. See we know her immediate family is gone her parents were only children, and all of her grandparents have passed away. We can't even find any distant cousins for her."

Sara heard Nick sigh into the phone; she knew that wasn't the answer he wanted, "However, we knew that an hour ago," Sara's voice changed, "For the last hour we have been making phone calls to various places for one person to take her home. And this person can eventually adopt her if they and Cassie would like that."

"Oh?" this piqued Nick's interest.

"So, Nick I know you already have a connection with her," the smile on Sara's face could be heard in her voice, "Would you like to be a father?"

Nick grinned looking over at Cassie, "For Cassie? In a heartbeat." He then noticed Cassie begin to wake up, "I'll see what she thinks, I'll call you back later Sara."

After they said their goodbyes, Nick closed his phone and went back to his seat by the bed smiling. "Hey, how ya feelin'?" He asked as he took her hand she had stretched out to him.

She smiled back and spoke in a less raspy voice, "Better a little."

"Good I'm glad," Nick began, "So, I have had some friends of mine looking for your next of kin, someone to take care of you. This is what they just told me: they couldn't find anyone." Nick saw her face fall and took her chin in his free hand and had her look at him, "But there is good news, there is someone who would like to take care of you, maybe eventually adopt you. Would you like that?"

Cassie looked thoughtful, "Maybe, who?"

Nick grinned again, "Me?"

A smile slowly spread across her face, "I like you Nick! Yes! Um, can I call you Daddy? I know you will be better than my other daddy."

"I would love that, and I promise to keep you safe. I will be the best Daddy I can be for you," Nick said hugging her.

"Okay, Daddy," Cassie smiled hugging him back.

_**(A/N: So what did you think? Let me know!)**_


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